Djon Mundine (born 1951) is an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

curator, writer, artist and activist.

Early life

Djon was born in

Grafton, New South Wales Grafton ( Bundjalung-Yugambeh: Gumbin Gir) is a city in the Northern Rivers region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located on the Clarence River, approximately by road north-northeast of the state capital Sydney. The closest m ...

in 1941. He is one of 11 children born to Roy Mundine and Olive Bridgette Mundine (nee Donovan). His siblings include Roy, Anne, Olive, Kaye, Charles, Peter, Philip,

Warren Mundine Nyunggai Warren Stephen Mundine is an Australian Aboriginal leader and politician. He was the National President of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), but quit the party in 2012. Mundine was appointed chairman of the Coalition (Australia), Coali ...

, James and Graeme. He is a Wehbal man from the West Bundjalung nation, from the

Northern Rivers Northern Rivers is the most north-easterly region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence, Richmond, and Tweed rivers. ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. He is also a descendant of the

Gumbaynggirr The Gumbaynggirr people, also rendered Kumbainggar, Gumbangeri and other variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Gumbathagang was a probable clan or sub-group. The traditional lands of th ...

Yuin The Yuin nation, also spelt Djuwin, is a group of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal peoples from the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales. All Yuin people share ancestors who spoke, as their first language, ...

people. Mundine spent his early life growing up in South Grafton. In 1963, his family settled in the western Sydney suburb of

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

. Mundine went to the Catholic Benedict Marist Brothers College and went onto commence study at

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of S ...

Career

Mundine is a curator, writer, artist and activist and is celebrated as a foundational figure in the criticism and exhibition of

contemporary Aboriginal Australian art Contemporary Indigenous Australian art (also known as contemporary Aboriginal Australian art) is the modern art work produced by Indigenous Australians, that is, Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people. It is generally regarded a ...

. Mundine has held many senior curatorial positions in both national and international institutions, some of which include the National Museum of Australia, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales and Campbelltown Art Centre. Arafura Swamp 1988

Between the years 1979 and 1995, Mundine was the Art Advisor at Milingimbi and curator at Bula-bula Arts in

Ramingining Ramingining is an Aboriginal Australian community of mainly Yolngu people in the Northern Territory, Australia, east of Darwin. It is on the edge of the Arafura Swamp in Arnhem Land. Wulkabimirri is a tiny outstation (homeland) nearby, and Mu ...

, Arnhem Land for sixteen years. Mundine was the concept artist and producer of the ‘

Aboriginal Memorial The ''Aboriginal Memorial'' is a work of contemporary Indigenous Australian art from the late 1980s, and comprises 200 decorated hollow log coffins (also known as memorial poles, dupun, ḻarrakitj and other terms). It was conceived by Djon Mu ...

’. The ''Aboriginal Memorial'' is a work of

contemporary Indigenous Australian art Contemporary Indigenous Australian art (also known as contemporary Aboriginal Australian art) is the modern art work produced by Indigenous Australians, that is, Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people. It is generally regarded a ...

from the late 1980s, and comprises 200 decorated

hollow log coffin A memorial pole, also known as hollow log coffin, burial pole, lorrkkon, ḻarrakitj, or ḏupun, is a hollow tree trunk decorated with elaborate designs, made by the Yolngu people, Yolngu and Bininj peoples of Arnhem Land in the Northern Ter ...

s. The work was realised by 43 artists from

and neighbouring communities of Central

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

, in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

. Artists who participated in its creation included

David Malangi David Malangi (192719 June 1999) was an Indigenous Australian Yolngu artist from the Northern Territory. He was one of the most well known bark painters from Arnhem Land and a significant figure in contemporary Indigenous Australian art. He wa ...

and

George Milpurrurru George Milpurrurru (1934–1998) was an Australian Aboriginal artist known for his bark paintings. Biography Milpurrurru was born in 1934 and raised in central Arnhem Land, specifically Ganalbingu land, where he learned his artistry. He came ...

.The work was created to coincide with the

Australian Bicentenary The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788. History The bicentennial year marked Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 ships ...

and commemorates those

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

who died as a result of European settlement. It was acquired by the

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

, where it is on permanent display. Its first exhibition was at the

Sydney Biennale The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and ...

in 1988, and it was the centrepiece of an exhibition of Indigenous art at Russia's

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the list of ...

in 2000. As of 2014 it stands at the entry to the National Gallery's new wing that opened in September 2010. The Memorial was central to the 1988

Biennale of Sydney The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and ...

and remains on permanent display at the

in the main entrance hall. In 1993, Mundine received the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

for service to the promotion and development of Aboriginal arts, crafts and culture. In 1994 he co-curated (with

Fiona Foley Fiona Foley (born 1964) is a contemporary Indigenous Australian artist from K'gari (Fraser Island), Queensland. Foley is known for her activity as an academic, cultural and community leader and for co-founding the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-o ...

) ''I Shall never Become a Whiteman'', for the

Havana Biennale The Bienal de La Habana was founded in 1984. It takes place in Havana (Cuba) every two years. It principally aims at promoting the developing world in contemporary art circles, giving priority to Latin American and Caribbean artists, although art ...

and

Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art (often abbreviated to MCA, MoCA or MOCA) may refer to: Africa * Museum of Contemporary Art (Tangier), Morocco, officially le Galerie d'Art Contemporain Mohamed Drissi Asia East Asia * Museum of Contemporary Art Shangha ...

, Sydney. Tyerabowbarwarryaou was the first exhibition to exhibit contemporary Aboriginal art at the MCA. Tyerabarrbowaryaou aimed to present a new voice of Aboriginal culture. Mundine was a curator for 'Aratjara’ exhibition (Dusseldorf, London, and Denmark, 1993–94). In 1994 Mundine and Foley worked together to co-create the MCA Aboriginal Art: The Arnott's Collection exhibition. The exhibition was the first public display of the Arnott’s Biscuits Collection of Aboriginal Bark Paintings. The

Arnott's Biscuits Collection of Aboriginal Bark Painting Arnotts can refer to; * Arnott's Biscuits, an Australian biscuit and salted snack food company * Arnotts (Ireland), a department store in Dublin, Ireland * Arnotts (Scotland) Arnotts was a department store in Glasgow, Scotland. It became part o ...

s comprises 275 bark paintings donated to the MCA in June 1993 by Arnott’s Biscuits Limited. The collection features works from the 1960s through to the early 1980s by important artists from the creative hubs in and around Groote Eylandt, Yirrkala, Galiwin’ku, Milingimbi, Maningrida, Ramingining, Gunbalanya, Wadeye and the Tiwi islands; places still significant today for their ongoing contribution to contemporary Aboriginal art practice. The collection is widely considered to be one of the most important collections of bark paintings in the world. ''The Native Born'' (1996, MCA), is an exhibition and publication showing ceremonial and utilitarian weaving and artistic work from Ramingining community. This led to the inclusion of artists such as Robyn Djunginy in the 1998

. Other major exhibitions include ''They are Meditating: Bark Paintings from the Museum of Contemporary Art's Arnott Collection'' (2008). In 2017 Mundine was the inaugural recipient of the Power Publications Award for Indigenous Art Writing for his essay "The Aboriginal Memorial: Australia’s Forgotten War", published in Artlink Between 2005 and 2006 Mundine was resident at the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) in Osaka, Japan as a Research Professor in the Department of Social Research. In 2020 Mundine won the

Australia Council The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

Red Ochre Award The Red Ochre Award is an annual art award for Indigenous Australian artists. Background and description The Red Ochre Award was established in 1993 by the Australia Council for the Arts. It is awarded annually to an outstanding Indigenous Au ...

for Lifetime Achievement. Mundine is currently an independent curator of contemporary First Nation art and cultural mentor for fellow First Nation artists.

Honours and awards

*1993 Medal of the Order of Australia ''for service to the promotion and development of aboriginal arts, crafts and culture'' *2015 Level 2 winner, Indigenous Project or Keeping Place, for ''Bungaree’s Farm'' at Mosman Art Gallery, at the

Australian Museums and Galleries Association The Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA), formerly Museums Galleries Australia and Museums Australia, is the national professional organisation and peak council for museums and public art galleries in Australia. It advocates for ...

MAGNA Awards *2016 Best in Heritage Conference,

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

, showcased entry and finalist, ''Bungaree’s Farm'' *2017 Power Publications Award for Indigenous Art Writing *2020

Australia Council for the Arts The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

Exhibitions

Boards, committees and associations

Other roles

* 2020 Patron, King & Wood Mallesons Contemporary First Nation Art Award& Wood Mallesons Contemporary First Nation Art Prize
/ref> * 2018 Patron: King & Wood Mallesons Contemporary First Nation Art Prize * 2018 Judge: Woollahra Small Sculpture Award Woollahra Small Sculpture Award
/ref> * 2007 Judge:

Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award The National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) is Australia's longest running Indigenous art award. Established in 1984 as the National Aboriginal Art Award by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwi ...

* 2000 Judge: ''The Art of Place'': The 5th National Indigenous Heritage Art Awards, Australian Heritage Commission * 1993 Curator:

Bayside Council Bayside Council is a local government in New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Sydney, around part of Botany Bay, to south of the CBD. It includes suburbs of South Sydney and the St George area separated by the Cooks River. It compris ...

First Nations Art Competition * 1988 Judge: Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award * 1985-87 Aboriginal Art Adviser,

Artbank Artbank is an art rental program established in 1980 by the Australian Government. It supports contemporary Australian artists and encourages a wider appreciation of their work by buying artworks which it then rents to public and private sector c ...

* 1996 Judge: Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award

References

External links

*
Red Ochre AwardBungarees Farm - Mosman Art GalleryBungaree The First Australian 2012Parliament of New South Wales Aboriginal Art Prize
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mundine, Djon Living people People from New South Wales Bundjalung people Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia 1951 births